DRDO Rustom

Lore & Background

The Rustom family is named after Rustom Damania, a former professor of IISc, Bangalore who died in 2001, because the UAV is derived from the National Aerospace Laboratories' light canard research aircraft (LCRA) developed under his leadership in the 1980s. The DRDO intends to move away from traditional development methods by using concurrent engineering, where the production agency participates from the design stage to address production issues and infrastructure, aiming to overcome time delays. The Rustom-1 variant has a wingspan of 7.9 m, weighs 720 kg, and is launched conventionally, not via launcher like the DRDO Lakshya. It can see enemy territory up to 250 km and carry cameras and radar for surveillance. The Rustom-H is a twin-engine MALE UAV with a different design, payload capacity of 350 kg, and endurance over 24 hours. Advanced technologies include aerodynamic configurations, high aspect ratio wing, composite airframe, de-icing system, digital flight control with automatic takeoff and landing (ATOL), and high-resolution payloads.

Reader's Guide

The Rustom program represents a significant shift in Indian defense procurement, moving from traditional laboratory-to-production transfer to concurrent engineering with a production agency cum development partner (PADP). The Indian government allowed development in association with a PADP, with four vendors shortlisted from 23 respondents: Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Godrej Aerospace Limited, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-Bharat Electronics Limited (joint bid). Negotiations involve financial stakes from the PADP and the armed forces, with the government possibly guaranteeing a specific number of purchases. The Rustom-1 prototype completed 65 flight tests as of 2024, with notable milestones including the first flight on 16 November 2009 (which ended in a crash due to misjudged altitude), a second maiden flight on 15 October 2010, and the 14th successful flight on 8 May 2012 reaching 3,500 m. The TAPAS-BH-201 (Rustom-2) variant achieved its 200th flight on 27 June 2023 and was declared ready for user evaluation trials. The Archer variant, a further development of Rustom-1, includes a weaponized version capable of firing Helina ATGM and laser-guided rockets, with Bharat Electronics Limited winning a bid in July 2022 to produce 20 Limited Series Production units for user trials.

Did You Know?

• The Rustom is named after Professor Rustom Damania, who led the development of the NAL Light Canard Research Aircraft in the 1980s.
• The first flight of Rustom-1 on 16 November 2009 ended in a crash due to misjudgment of altitude, causing the engine to be switched off via ground command.
• On 9 November 2021, the project achieved indigenous Automatic Take Off and Landing (ATOL) using GAGAN SBAS.
• On 27 June 2023, DRDO demonstrated 200th flight of Tapas to the tri-services team for the first time at ATR Chitradurga.